Only The Beginning
by NaomiFlores
Summary: Kourtney Accola, Lauren Garth, and Emily Diaz are all high school seniors. NORMAL high school seniors. But the mysterious brothers Damon and Stefan Salvatore and even their cousin Ash begin attending the same school as them, all hell breaks loose. Bonds willl be tested, the only question is: Who will survive?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter one: Late Night Thoughts

"I'm telling you I feel weird. Maybe it's just because prom is coming up and I'm just nervous or maybe I'm just sick," says one of Kourtney's best friends, Emily.

"Or your cousin was right, you're a witch!" says Kourtney laughing.

Emily elbowed her playfully, "Oh shut up! The poor girl is psycho. No doubts she'll end up in the nuthouse by the time she's eighteen."

Emily had been feeling different lately and her visit from her clearly deranged seventeen year old cousin telling her she was a witch didn't really help. Did everyone have a crazy cousin like that? She didn't know, she just focused on the route to her high school as Kourtney tried to calm her down.

"Don't worry, Em, it's probably just the fact that you're nervous for prom. _Which_ is in three months, by the way. You have nothing to be worried about," said Kourtney.

Kourtney sighed and turned to the window and watched as the many familiar streets zoomed by her. Emily was a crazy driver, but she loved her anyway. Emily, Kourtney and their other best friend Lauren had been best friends since junior high. Kourtney was only worried about getting her grade of a B for Math Studies turned into an A. It wasn't going to be easy, her math teacher was Mr. Nolan and he was a complete jerk. Today was going to be a long day.

"You're right. That's probably why, besides I just don't think anyone will ask me, honestly," said Emily parking her car in the student parking lot.

Kourtney scoffed, "Emily! Are you kidding? Guys are already lining up to ask you to prom. You're awesome, Em."

"Surrrrrre," said Emily stepping out of the car at the same time Kourtney did.

Kourtney quickly got first period over with and moved quickly straight to second period, her Math Studies class. She steps in with a smile.

"Good morning, Mr. Nolan. I'd like to know when the extra credit assignments are going to be posted?" asks Kourtney sweetly.

"As soon as pigs fly, Ms. Accola, you know that I don't believe in extra credit. And if you hadn't noticed, I was just speaking to Mr. Salvatore here," says Mr. Nolan pointing to a tall attractive guy behind her.

Kourtney smiles at him, "Hello," she turns back to Mr. Nolan, "But, Mr. Nolan, you don't understand. I can't have any B's my last semester here. I need to get into NYU. I have to leave this hellhole."

The tall attractive guy smiles and stands up, "Allow me to interrupt. I'm Stefan Salvatore, good to meet you…?"

Kourtney nods, "Kourtney. Kourtney Accola."

Stefan smiles, "Good to meet you, Kourtney. Now," he turns to Mr. Nolan and looks at him closely, "Mr. Nolan, I think you should just go right ahead and give Kourtney an A. Seems like she deserves it, Sir."

Mr. Nolan stares at him for a second and then says, "Yes. She does deserve an A, doesn't she?" he turns to Kourtney, "Ms. Accola, I'll be willing to drop your last low test grade."

"Really? Thank you, Mr. Nolan, thank you so much!" Kourtney says. She turns to Stefan and smiles, "Do you have this class right now?"

"Uh yes, luckily," says Stefan with a smile.

"Oh. Well people usually start pouring in about two minutes before the bell. Oh and there's no seating chart, thank goodness," says Kourtney.

"Great," says Stefan, still smiling.

The students begin to pour in and Kourtney sits in her usual seat while Stefan takes a seat on one side of her and Lauren takes the other. Lauren looks at Kourtney smiling, her green eyes laughing.

"Guess. What," says Lauren.

"Oh we both know I'm not really going to guess, Lauren. What is it?" Kourtney says.

Lauren jumps up and down in her seat, "Okay, okay! There's this super-hot new guy in my first period and he said and I quote 'Hello, Beautiful.' Oh my gosh, Kourt, he is so cute!"

Kourtney laughs, "Well what's his name!"

"His name is Ash and he and his cousin, Stefan, just moved here from freakin' Paris! Can you believe it? Paris!"

"Stefan?" says Kourtney looking at Lauren confused.

Before Lauren can answer Stefan turns in his seat and says, "Yes?"

Lauren's mouth drops, "You're Stefan? As in Ash's cousin, Stefan?"

Stefan hesitates, "Uuuh yea. How do you know Ash?"

Lauren smiles, "Well, he's in my first period class. Oh, I see you know my friend, Kourtney."

"Yes, luckily," he answers with a smile.

Kourtney slightly blushes but before she can say anything, Mr. Nolan is right in front of her, Lauren, and Stefan with an angry face. "Mr. Salvatore, you'll have plenty of time to flirt with Ms. Accola _after_ my class."

Stefan smiles, "Yes, Sir, thank you, I will."

Kourtney laughs and goes through the rest of the day hanging out with Stefan, his cousin, Lauren, and Emily. Emily looking annoyed whenever one of the guys slightly flirted with Lauren or Kourtney. As soon as the school day ended Emily, Lauren, and Kourtney headed to the Anglewood Mall, they needed a break. As Lauren and Emily went to go try on some clothes, Kourtney looked at a short red dress. She felt the fabric and put it to her body to see how it might look.

A voice behind her made her jump, "I think you should get it. It'd look amazing on you. Oh sorry, didn't mean to scare you."

Kourtney turned around to see an attractive guy with black hair and piercing green eyes.

"I'm Damon, by the way," he said.

She smiled, "I'm Kourtney," she was about to shake his hand but he took her hand and kissed it, "Oh okay," she laughed.

"Sorry, I couldn't refrain from doing that. You're just so beautiful," said Damon.

"Um thanks. Do I know you? You look kinda familiar," said Kourtney.

He smiled, "Maybe. In my dreams."

She laughs, "Okay, I set myself up for that one. C'mon, you've got to have a better pick-up line than _that_."

Damon laughs, "Oh trust me, I don't. I usually don't have to say much for a girl to be into me. But you're different."

"That was a _little_ better," Kourtney laughs.

"Oh, no. I'm serious. I don't often even have to use pick-up lines."

"Oh yes. All the girls just come running to you don't they?" says Kourtney smiles.

"Mostly yes," says Damon with a smile.

"Oh I'm sure."

"Well, they're usually not as gorgeous as you."

Kourtney puts the dress back on the rack, "Gosh, why do you keep trying?"

"Because I like a challenge," he says coming closer to her.

"I'm not a game."

"No. But love is," he says inches away from her face.

"I'm not very good at the game. There are no instructions."

"No rules, either," he says getting even closer.

"Maybe that's the problem."

"Yes, but it's also the solution," says Damon about to kiss her.

"Uuuh Kourtney?" says Emily behind her.

Kourtney turns around quickly, "Oh. So, um, are you guys going to get those?" she points to the clothes in their hands.

"Yea, we're just going to get these and go. I'm kind of tired," says Lauren to the side of Emily.

"Uh okay. You guys could go ahead and buy them. I'm just going to say goodbye and I'll be right out," says Kourtney.

"Alright. Well hurry," says Emily walking away with Lauren.

"Well now. Where were we?" says Damon coming closer to her.

"I was leaving and I'm going to shake your hand. I'm not a game piece, Damon. I won't fall for stupid tricks. Goodbye," says Kourtney not even bothering to shake his hand before she leaves.

As she lay in bed that night, Kourtney thinks of two things. 1. Stefan and 2. Damon. Stefan was so charming and polite while Damon was sexy and flirtatious. She was probably considered important to Stefan already; he was growing fond of her. But with Damon, she was probably just that girl who turned him down that day, a small downfall to his day. She decided one thing as she closed her eyes: She was probably never going to see Damon again; it was Stefan who would be there the next day.

Before Emily turned out her light that night she caught a glimpse of a picture on her wall of Kourtney and her. _Beautiful_, she thought as she walked to her bed. Kourtney was always going to be more beautiful than her. She was always going to get the best guy. Always going to get the best grades. The best family. The best life. When was it going to be Emily's turn? Her actual chance at romance? No. She hated having negative thoughts. She was beautiful and she knew it. It was only that she pushed guys away. She made a promise to herself as she turned on her side and shut her eyes: The next one wouldn't get away so easily.

Lauren turned out her light and practically skipped to her bed. She was so happy. Why was she so happy today? _Ash_, she thought. Ash was the reason she was so happy as she lay in bed that night. Nothing could spoil her happiness. He liked her. He really liked her. And she liked him. It was a good day. _This just might work out_, she thought as she fell into a deep slumber.

Ash turned off the light and gracefully lied down in his bed. Lauren seemed so different. He felt like himself with her. And he didn't usually walk up to girls like that with such courage, but it was so easy with Lauren. Why was he even getting into this? He knew it was dangerous to be with her. Any girl at that high school, really. None of them were like him and Stefan. In fact, the only reason he went back to high school was because he didn't want Stefan to cause any trouble. As his best friend, he had to keep an eye on Stefan and he was quickly growing fond of this Kourtney girl. This was bad. Both him and Stefan were growing fond of these human girls. He tossed and turned and finally shut his eyes. _But maybe this will work out_, he thought before falling asleep.

Kourtney. Kourtney was all Stefan could think about as he lay in bed that night. She was so beautiful and kind. She was simply perfect. But she was human. Nothing could be worse than that. He was growing close to a human. He couldn't put her in danger like that. But maybe she wouldn't be in danger. He could just keep his distance. Oh but he couldn't. He couldn't stay away from her. Not from her. She was amazing. And he had already put himself at risk when he compelled Mr. Nolan to give her an A. Maybe it was her. The girl he was meant for. Maybe he'd finally met her. He shut his eyes and decided something: She had to be his.

_Stefan won't get this girl_, thought Damon as he gracefully slid into his bed. This girl was different. She was not an ordinary girl. She was meant for greatness. Meant for him. Not Stefan. Although she didn't seem so fond of Damon. Not when she snapped back to reality at least. She would probably not ever think about him again while he lies in bed thinking of her nonstop. She was quite amazing. A human, but an amazing one. She was not going to be someone he would get his mind off easily, that was for sure. She was too good for him. But maybe he could be just as good. He could try at least, maybe then he's win her. He decided something as he fell into a deep sleep: He was going to see her again.


	2. Chapter 2

"Oh c'mon. You'll get to meet my jerk of a brother," said Stefan holding Kourtney's hand.

They had been dating for a week and he was practically begging her to have dinner at his house. It had only been a week so far, was she really ready to go over to his house just yet? It felt too soon. Although she was itching to say yes, a voice in the back of her head told her it was a bad idea.

"I don't knooowww," said Kourtney unsure.

Stefan stoops walking and cups her face in his hands, "Pleeease."

Kourtney groans, "Please don't do that."

"I'm not going to stop until you say yes. Please, please, please, please!" he said.

Kourtney groaned again, "Whyyy?"

He kissed her, "Because I want you too."

She smiled, his kisses always left her in a tizzy, "I'll think about it."

"Please," he said kissing her again.

"Fiiiine," she said finally giving in.

He smiled, "Great. I'll see you tonight."

"See you," she said.

He kissed her and walked to his car. Kourtney sighed as she opened her car door. Now she was going to need something new to wear. She changed her route on her GPS to the Anglewood Mall. She already knew the way, but it was good to get reassurance. She thought about Stefan the entire ride there. He was so great. He had asked her out the first chance he got. And Ash did the same to Lauren. They were such a cute couple. She was so tiny and he was so tall, but it didn't matter. He looked at her with such passion, the same way Stefan did to her. When she got into her favorite store where she had seen that red dress, the cashier stopped her.

"Excuse me, Miss, are you Kourtney?"

"Um yes. Can I help you?" Kourtney answered.

"A young man left something for you," she smiled as she pulled out a gift bag with a fierce black color.

"Um thank you," she says as she takes the gift bag from the cashier.

A note attached to it read, "**It truly will look amazing on you. –Damon**" She scoffed. He was still trying. She reached into the gift bag and felt the familiar fabric of the short red dress. She smiled; at least she had something new to wear tonight. Why was it that he kept trying? Didn't he get that she wasn't interested? At least not anymore. She walked out of the store frowning. Why was it that he didn't just give up? She couldn't be that important to him… Could she? No, she probably wasn't. This was the last time he would every try to win her. She would never see him again. And she was glad for that. As she walked to her car, she let the last thought of Damon enter her mind: He was really cute. She slid into her car and quickly drove to her house. When she got there, her Dad was already home. She tried to sneak up the stairs but he caught her.

"Not so fast, young lady!" he scolded.

She slowly walked back down the stairs, "Yees, Dad?"

"Where were you?" he asked folding the newspaper in his lap.

"At the mall, buying a dress."

"And you didn't bother to text or call beeeecause?"

"Uuuh," she choked on her words, her Dad could be very scary at times, "I didn't think I'd be long. Besides, I was going to call on my way to Emily's. Her family's having this big get together for… her sister's ballet recital," she lied.

"Oh. Well be back by ten, missy," he went back to reading his paper.

She ran up to her room, shut the door, and sighed out of relief. She hated lying to her Dad, but she had to when it came to guys. He used to be in the army and still had his gun, fully loaded. She quickly ran to her bathroom, slipped on the dress, curled her hair, and redid her make-up. Kourtney didn't need make-up, but she still believed she did. She quickly slipped on some black peep toed heels and was out the door in a flash.

"Have fun!" her Mom shouted from the door.

"Not too much fun," she heard her Dad say.

She rolled her eyes with a smile as she started her car. The drive to Stefan's house was quick and simple. She stayed in the car for a minute or two just realizing one thing: She forgot about Stefan's brother. He had of course mentioned he had a brother, but it completely slipped her mind as to what he'd be like. Stefan had said that he was a jerk, but maybe that was just Stefan being Stefan. Well either way, she was going to keep her distance from him. She opened the car door, stepped out of the car, and walked up the path to Stefan's house. This was the first time she had ever been over to his house and she had to admit, it was amazing. The bushes were perfectly trimmed, the many flowers kept apart. It was amazing. She rang the doorbell and it felt like it went on forever. There was no answer. She tried to call Stefan, but just like the doorbell, there was no answer. Now, she was worried. She tried her luck and checked if the door was unlocked, surprisingly it was. She walked in and shut the door behind her.

"Stefan?" she called out to the vacant house.

A familiar voice answered, "He's not-," the voice cut off and now the familiar figure was standing in front of her.

Damon. It was Damon.

"Home. He's not home," finished Damon, "What are you doing here?"

She found her words after a few seconds of silence, "Uhh well isn't it obvious? To see my boyfriend. Why are _you_ here?"

He smirked, "I wasn't aware we were in a relationship."

She rolled her eyes, "Not you. _Stefan_."

"Well, my little brother isn't here at the moment, hate to be a downer. By the way, I like the dress," he winks.

"Wait, wait, wait. _You're_ Stefan's brother?" she said ignoring the compliment.

"Nah, I'm a ghost," he said with a smirk.

She rolled her eyes, "Fine. I'll just wait for him to get back."

She quickly found the living room and sat down on the couch with her arms crossed and legs crossed. She wanted to make it clear that he wasn't going to win her. She wasn't a prize to be won. A minute later he went into the living room and sat in the chair across from her, drink in hand.

"You know, he probably won't be back in a while. He insisted on getting Italian take-out and serving it on fancy plates. The Italian fast-food place is twenty five miles away. So, I'm just sayin' you might as well have some fun while you're here if you know what I mean," he winks.

She scoffs, "My idea of fun is much different than yours, trust me."

He fakes a frown, "Aww, so you don't like card tricks?"

She can't contain herself from laughing, "Oh no, I like card tricks. You can never figure out how the hell they do that!" Maybe Damon wasn't so bad after all.

"That's because it's magic!" he laughed.

She smiles, "There's no such thing as magic."

"You kill the fun! All you have to do is stand there and be fascinated!"

"And if I'm not?"

"Then you're mentally insane," he says simply.

She laughs and playfully throws a pillow at him, "Oh shut uuuuup!"

"Well! If it isn't my baby brother," he said smiling at Stefan behind her.

She quickly stood up and turned around. "Stefan, oh we were just-"

Damon cuts her off, "We were just scuba diving," he smiles.

Stefan looks at them confused, "Uh huuuuh, I'm sure you were. Kourtney, he wasn't bothering you, was he?"

Damon laughed, "Even if I was, you couldn't do much. Face it, Stefan, I'm practically invincible."

Kourtney looked back and forth between them two confused, "Uhh, it's okay, Stefan, we were just talking. Can we just go eat? I'm starving."

"Yea, sorry I was late," he said taking her hand and leading her to the kitchen.

When they get to the kitchen, Kourtney can't hold back her amazement. It was beautiful, just like everything else. It had an old type of feel to it, but without all the cobwebs. Stefan pulled out her chair for her like a gentleman and she sat. He sat directly across from her with a smile.

"Sorry, I know Damon can be… Irritating," he said frowning, not touching his food.

"Really, Stefan, it's not a problem. He's actually really cool, you have nothing to worry about," she replied with a smile.

He raised an eyebrow, "He's 'cool'? Well that just gives me a reason to worry," he laughs.

She smiles, "Well, you worry too much. I'm not afraid of your _brother_, Stefan. In fact, you don't give him much credit. He's not really how you described him."

"Yes, because he puts up an act. Trust me; he's just trying to get back at me."

"For what?" she asked confused.

He stared at his plate tossing around some lettuce in his salad, "Uh, nothing. Never mind. Anyways," he smiles, "You look beautiful, but that's no surprise."

Kourtney blushes slightly, "Thank you. So. I don't know about you, but I'd say that Emily and Damon would be good together. We should set them up."

Why did she just say that? She was sure that Emily would hate him, but she just wanted something to discuss. Which was Damon. Why was it that she wanted to talk about Damon? He was Stefan's _brother_ and she really liked Stefan.

"Uhh I don't think so. Damon's kind of out of the dating thing right now. He's going through… a phase, I guess," said Stefan.

Kourtney stared at her food, "Oh. Well, I'm sure he'll snap out of it eventually," she smiled.

What was that in the pit of her stomach? A small flame of hope? Hope that Damon would want to date her? No. She quickly pushed the thoughts aside. She was here because of _Stefan_. Not Damon. _Stefan_. Why was she even thinking thoughts like that? It was crazy.

Suddenly Damon walked into the room with a smile, "Don't mind me, I'm just getting a drink."

Stefan's jaw clenched, "Couldn't you have gotten it earlier?"

Damon imitated a child, "I wasn't thirsty _earlier_."

Kourtney spoke up before things got dramatic, "Uh that's okay. We were just talking."

"Yea, I'm sure," said Damon with a smile as he walked out with his drink.

"Uh anyways," said Kourtney, "Rumor has it that you're going to try out for lacrosse. Is it true? You'd be great."

Stefan smiled, "Well I was _thinking_ about it."

"What's stopping you?" she said before taking a bite of her lasagna.

"It'll take up too much of my time. I'd rather spend any time I have with you," he said smiling.

Kourtney laughed, "Stefan! Don't let me stop you from having fun…" she thought about it, "Well not too much fun. Like no hookers."

Stefan burst into laughter, "Yea, no hookers. Got it."

"Glad we're clear on that," she said laughing.

They spend the rest of the night just talking. Talking about anything and everything. It felt good being with Stefan. He was kind, smart, and cute. What more could she ask for? At that moment everything was perfect. Everything magically falling into place the more she was with him. There were no more interruptions from Damon, and Kourtney was kind of glad and sad about that. She couldn't quite put her finger on why, but she felt somewhat different around Stefan. She wasn't quite herself, but maybe that was better. She kissed Stefan goodnight and before she walked out, she spotted Damon on the couch sleeping. She wondered why he hadn't just gone to his room. He looked so peaceful. Then she noticed it. The drink he had interrupted them for was sitting on the table next to him, filled to the brim. He hadn't even taken a sip. It was just an excuse to interrupt. She laughed to herself as she stepped into the car: He was _still_ trying.

"You'd think the park would look really creepy at night, but it's sort of… peaceful. Makes you feel safe, ya know?" said Lauren holding onto Ash's hand.

"Well that depends on who you're with," said Ash smiling.

"That's my point," she replied gripping his hand tighter.

Ash is silent for a moment and then he smiles, "I'll race you to the swings."

She laughs, "Isn't that a bit childish?"

"I won't tell if you won't," he smiles, "On three. One-"

Before he can even say two, Lauren runs to the swings, "Three!" she shouts laughing,

He laughs and chases after her, "Cheater!"

Lauren's already at the swings laughing too hard to actually sit down on a swing. She just grips the chain on the swing and laughs hysterically. Ash smiles, even in the darkness she looks beautiful. He caught up to her, careful not to get there too quickly, and sat down on a swing.

"I got the better one anyways," he said smiling.

"Nuh-uh! Mine is waaay better," she said taking a seat on the swing.

"Oh really?" he says with an evil grin, "Well let's see how high yours can go."

"Noo!" she says while he stands up and goes behind her.

He laughs while he pushes her higher and higher, trying to control his strength. She's laughing too and he pushes her higher.

"Now for the finale!" he exclaims with a smile.

He pushes her the highest he can and runs to catch her while she falls. She lets out a small scream before he catches her. Then she smiles and kisses him.

"What?" he says confused, "You didn't think I'd let you fall, did you?" he said smiling.

She smiled, "I wasn't 100% sure you'd catch me."

"I always will, Beautiful," he said before kissing her.

He had never felt this way about anyone before. Lauren was simply perfect. Intelligent, caring, and beautiful. She was all of those things. At first, he had such doubts that he could ever have a normal relationship with her. He was what he was and she was simply human. A fragile creature that made you want to protect her. Forever. He's never felt so alive, all things considered. He just couldn't stay away from her, he was like a moth to flame. And that flame was Lauren. He had barely gotten any sleep this week just thinking about her. And now he was already at her house, dropping her off and kissing her goodnight. Even as he was driving home, she still hadn't quite slipped her mind. He had to get some sleep tonight. That is if Damon and Stefan weren't fighting again. They were way worse than just 'bickering brothers.' They were practically rivals. Both fighting for Kourtney, Lauren's friend. She was also human. Ash could sort of see why they were fighting over her, she was quite beautiful. However, Ash knew he would never fight with _his_ brother if he was still alive. Maybe it was that Damon and Stefan had lived much longer than Ash. Maybe they had different morals. Or maybe they had none.

_It is so cold out here_, thought Damon as he sat on a branch next to Kourtney's window. He could be considered a stalker the way he watched her as she slept, but he felt the need to protect her. It was so unlike him to be considered the protector of someone, a human especially. She was a beautiful human though. He needed to have the peace of mind that she at least locked her window, which she never did. Of course, she was on the second floor but she wasn't aware of the world of the super naturals, vampires to be exact. Well at least she wasn't aware _yet_. Stefan would have to tell her someday. Then she'd run away screaming. As he slipped into her bedroom with grace, her breathing remained normal. She was a very heavy sleeper. He landed without so much as a squeak, he turned around and almost tripped on a broken floorboard. As he attempted to put it back into place, a bright blue book caught his eye that was placed under the floor as if it was hidden. He set the floor board aside and picked up the book with curiosity. He opened it without hesitation and saw the same first two words written on every page, "Dear Diary." He felt a twinge of… what was that? Guilt? He hadn't felt guilty in a long time. But he just had to see what she had last written. He flipped to the very last page that was written on. It read:

"**_Dear Diary,_**

**_ Today I had dinner with Stefan at his house. He's simply amazing. And you're never going to believe who his brother is: Damon. As in the cute guy from my favorite store Damon. I do really like Stefan, believe me I do. He's cute, smart, and nice. But I can't help but feel something for Damon. It's like this weird feeling in the pit of my stomach that I actually enjoy. He makes me feel….. Alive. Like I can do or be anything. I don't know, it's so weird. So different. But I kind of like it. I shouldn't be saying anything like this should I? I should be writing about how amazing Stefan is, he is my boyfriend after all. And I like him a lot. I feel so safe with him. But I like the feel of unexpected things with Damon. We've only exchanged a few words but I feel like something is there. Just waiting to be revealed. I wonder if it ever will be."_**

He quickly shut the book and placed it back under the floor and put the floorboard back in its place. He didn't need any reassurance to know what he had to do next. He locked her window, stepped out, and shut the window. He sat on the branch and focused. He was going into her dreams. To prove to himself that she would fall for him someday. He entered her dreams and it seemed she was being chased, so he snapped his fingers and she was in a beautiful ball gown in a ballroom with Damon in a tux.

"Damon?" she said confused, "What's going on?"

He smiled, "Well that's for you to decide, lovely."

She smiled, "This is a controllable dream?"

"Yes. You can have anything you want. Just tell me what it is you desire."

"I-I don't know what I want," she said with a frown.

"Well let me help you with that," he said coming closer. He kissed her and she kissed him back.

"I don't know why I just did that…. But I liked it," she smiled, "This is just a dream after all."

He smiled, "Yea. Kourtney… You need to know that I do care for you. I really do. You're not just some girl. You're _the_ girl. Stefan isn't right for you, Kourtney, and I mean that. You should be with _me_. I know that we have something. I feel so alive when I'm around you. Like I'm just a normal guy. You know that you feel something too. You've got to admit it. Let me just hear you say it. That you feel something for me."

Kourtney frowned and stared at the floor, "Damon… I have feelings for you, there's no doubt in that. But….. But I have feelings for Stefan too."

Damon shrugs slightly with a smile, "You'll get over him." Kourtney smiles and Damon kisses her, "Well, goodnight, lovely. Sweet dreams."

Before Damon disappears back to the tree branch he catches a glimpse of Kourtney's confused face. Now as he sits in the darkness on the tree branch, he sees Kourtney open her eyes and sit up quickly. She puts her fingers to her lips and smiles. He smiles as she lays back down still smiling. Now he knew that she could be his. All he had to do was try a bit harder. And he would start first thing in the morning. Kourtney would be his. Even if it was the last thing he did.


	3. Chapter 3

Kourtney sat up quickly, still shocked by the dream she had just dreamt. Damon. She had dreamt of Damon. It felt so real she still couldn't quite grasp the fact that it wasn't. He kissed her twice and he looked so charming. It was one of those lucid dreams where she could control everything. Damon had asked her if she had feelings for him and she said yes. She did and she knew it, she just never thought she'd tell Damon that or even herself. She smiled to herself and lay back down. She glanced at the clock that read 3:00 a.m. and closed her eyes, silently hoping she'd have that dream again. Just so she can feel his lips against hers once more.

When Kourtney awoke she went out for her morning run. She listened to her music as she ran keeping an eye out for her usual pacing spot. As she passed the park she spotted a dark figure by the fountain. She stopped in her tracks and realized it was Damon. She wiped the sweat off of her brow and hid behind a bush, wondering what he was doing here so early. He took out a paper from his pocket and looked over it. He smiled and laughed to himself. She wondered what had made _Damon_ smile. She stiffened as she saw someone she knew approaching Damon. It was Emily. What was she doing with Damon this early? With _Damon_ overall? She sat on the dirt covered ground completely prepared to listen to every word they said.

"Witch," said Damon waving to her.

"Well, we're not sure of that yet now are we?" said Emily.

"This is how we're going to find out," he said pulling out a huge book from a bag he brought with him.

"What is that?"

"A spell book. Got this bad boy from a friend. It's full of…. Amateur spells. For beginners like you," he said with a smirk.

"_Maybe_," she said annoyed.

"Keep telling yourself that. Okay," he opened the book to a random page, "What about this one? It's a nature spell, it makes flowers bloom instantly."

She raised an eyebrow and took the book from him, "Do I just repeat all this? These aren't even words."

"It's in Latin…. Probably," he shrugged.

"Uhh okay. Let's try this.'

"Now listen, you've got to focus. No distractions. Just focus on the words and what you want the outcome to be."

Emily nodded, "Alright."

Emily then mumbled a bunch of 'Latin' words that Kourtney couldn't quite catch and just as Damon had promised, flowers shot straight from the ground around them. They were pink lilies. Kourtney's mouth dropped and she barely realized how quick her heartbeat was getting. Her breathing began to get louder and faster. Emily was laughing at the amazing lilies around her and the amazement of it all. Damon smiled with her and then suddenly as if he was just stabbed his lips formed a straight line and he put a finger to his lips to tell Emily to be quiet.

"Shh! Someone's here," he said simply.

He looked around and Kourtney ducked down deeper into the bushes. Emily raised an eyebrow, "I don't see anyone."

"Yes, but I can hear them. Their heart is racing."

Emily's eyes widened, "You can hear that?"

"Yes. Wait here."

He begins to walk over to where Kourtney is with his eyes set on the bush. She could feel her heart pounding against her ribs. She was scared of him now. He had just helped Emily accomplish something impossible. What else was he capable of? His feelings for her wouldn't matter anymore now that she had seen what they had just done. He'd kill her without hesitation. She was panicking now and if she ran he would surely see her, no doubt he was quicker than her. And how did he even hear her heartbeat? What was all this? She had no other choice but to look down at the ground and wait for death to come quickly. That's when she saw it. A rock with a sharp pointed edge, she took it in her hand and pointed it straight at Emily's leg. She was great at darts and archery, throwing a rock wasn't much different. Once the rock hit Emily, she would scream and Damon would come rushing to Emily's side. _Hopefully_. Before Kourtney even could think of how Emily would be affected, she threw it. It felt like hours before she heard a scream from Emily. Kourtney ran as fast as the wind could take her without even checking if Damon ran to Emily, but before she turned the corner she gathered up the guts to turn around. Damon was running like the wind, literally. He was there in a flash. Suddenly Kourtney couldn't balance herself. She fell to the ground with a small shriek. Damon turned around but Kourtney quickly crawled behind a bush hugging her knee to her chest. She knew she was cut badly, but she wasn't about to risk getting caught by Damon. She got up, limping and ignoring the pain in her knee. She walked as fast as she could back to her house, before Damon would even say he was going to look for the mysterious person watching them, she would already be home.

As soon as she got home, she sneaked upstairs to her room. She threw herself on her bed and pulled up her running pants up to her injured knee. Blood was already stained on her running pants and it was now oozing down her leg.

"Shit!" she said.

She grabbed a piece of toilet paper from her bathroom, wet it, and cleaned her knee. It was still bleeding badly and it looked pretty gruesome so she limped downstairs and put a Band-Aid over it, then she wrapped her knee in gauze. She was sure the Band-Aid would be bled through within an hour. When she went back to her room, she quickly cleaned up, got dressed in a floral t-shirt and jeans, and put her hair down. She had to talk to Lauren about this. As she was about to put on her black flats, her phone rang. She took it from her bed and froze at the name that was clear across the screen: Emily. Should she answer it? How on earth did Emily do that earlier? What else could she do? Something violent? What was she? Did she see her at the park earlier? Was she capable of hurting Kourtney? No. This was _Emily_. The Emily she had known since junior high, she couldn't hurt her. Could she? Kourtney had to answer quickly now. What if Emily suspected it was Kourtney at the park earlier? Kourtney answered the phone with shaky hands.

"H-hey, Em," she said shakily.

"Hey, Kourt. Is something wrong?" said Emily.

Kourtney stood up straighter, making her voice normal, "Yea, just a little tired. I overslept. I didn't even have time to go for my run," she lied.

"Oh. Well, I was thinking we could go to the beach today. You, me, Lauren. No guys, though!" she said annoyed.

_Are you sure you can handle that rule?, _Kourtney thought. "Yea, sure, totally. I'll call Lauren."

"No need. I already called her. She's going. Meet us there at 12:00, kay?"

"Sure."

Emily hangs up and Kourtney shakily dials Lauren's number. She tries to gather up the confidence to tell her what she saw, but how could she? Say something like 'hey, I think our best friend is a mythical creature'? Would that work? Besides, why would Lauren even believe her? What she saw was crazy and even crazier to say out loud than to think of it.

Suddenly Lauren's voice interrupted her thoughts, "Kourt? What's up?"

Kourtney suddenly choked on her words, "I-uh-I saw-Lauren," she sighed.

"What's wrong, Kourtney?" Lauren's voice rose in concern.

"Lauren, I need to tell you something. It's about Emily."

"Is she okay!"

"Yea! She's fine! But I saw her this morning… at the park….. with Damon."

"Who's Damon?"

"He's the guy from the mall, remember?"

"Oh yeeea!"

"He also happens to be Stefan's older brother. Anyway, I know it was wrong but I sort of spied on them. Okay, you're not gonna believe me, but I'm going to say it anyway because I just need to get this off my chest! She did an actual spell. Well, at least it simply seemed like it. She said a few Latin words and then out of nowhere flowers just came out of the ground. It was a spell in a book Damon gave her. And I think her cousin wasn't so crazy after all. And I know I sound insane, but I'm not kidding! Lauren, I know what I saw!"

"Okay, calm down, Kourt. Just take a deep breath and think real hard: Are you sure that it wasn't a dream?"

"I'm certain! She was at the park from 6:00 to a little bit after 7:00, you can check with her! See if her voice sounds shaky or something… Wait, don't. I-I don't want you getting hurt. Damon heard me breathing. While I was hiding yards away from him. How could he possibly hear that? I'm- I'm just freaking out!"

"Gosh, Kourtney! Calm down! Look, it was probably just a dream. I highly doubt Emily and Damon are mythical creatures. Just relax and don't let it bother you. Dreams can be very realistic," she said calmly.

"Oh really? Well I tripped and fell on a curb. I have a cut to prove that. And my sweaty track suit if you want to smell that. Oh and I know what Emily and Damon are wearing today. There's no way I would know that without seeing them."

Lauren sighed on the other end, "Fine. Tell me what you saw them wearing and I'll write it down. If that's what they're wearing then, I'll believe you."

Kourtney nodded even though she knew Lauren couldn't see that, "Okay. Damon was wearing all black as usual. A leather jacket. A black V-Neck shirt. And black jeans. Emily was wearing a tight white shirt with a jean skirt. Her belt was beige and so were her flats. She was wearing a jean jacket. There. You got it?"

Lauren sighed again, "Yes, but they're not going to be wearing that. It was just a dream."

"Well, you'll see at 12:00," Kourtney murmured.

"I guess," said Lauren. There was a distant shout from Lauren's end. "Kourt, I gotta go. I'll see you later, alright?"

"Yea, see you," Kourtney said hanging up.

Kourtney looked at the clock. It read, "9:05." She sighed, 12:00 seemed ages away. Maybe that was a good thing….. Yes, it was a good thing. She didn't know Emily anymore. She would surely kill her if she told her what she knew. She'd rather not see her again. Not ever.

"Lauren! Come clean the dishes!" Lauren's mother yelled from downstairs.

Lauren told Kourtney goodbye and hung up.

"Coming!" shouted Lauren going down the stairs.

Lauren would much rather do dishes than hear another crazy word from Kourtney. She was talking all kinds of nonsense about how Emily and Damon were dangerous and 'magical.' There was no such thing as magic. Kourtney knew that. Why would she even say that kind of stuff? And about _Emily_? Maybe she was drunk. Or maybe it was a very realistic dream. Whatever. Either way, Kourtney would come to her senses soon. Lauren kissed her little brother, Mason's, head and he giggled.

"Lawen! I'm big boy now! Big boys don't get kissies!" he made a disgusted face.

Lauren faked a frown, "Well do they still get hugs?"

Mason thought it over, rolled his eyes, and finally said, "Fiiiiine!" he quickly gave her a warming hug. "There. No. More."

Lauren laughed and went on to do the dishes. When she finished them she quickly dried her hands and ran up the stairs to get ready for the park. It was already 11:00 and she was still in her pajamas, she laughed at herself for being so lazy to get up this morning. She had barely woken up when Emily called, telling her to meet up at the beach. She seemed overly excited. And being even slightly happy wasn't Emily at all. She was too much of a negative person. Oh well. Lauren kissed Mason's head and ran up the stairs before Mason could push her away.

"Lawwennn! No! More!" he laughed as she ran up the stairs.

She laughed and ran to her bedroom, closing the door behind her. She opened her closet and flipped through her clothes. She picked out a simple white dress with black polka dots to wear over her white two –piece bikini with ruffles at the strap. She threw it on and looked at her reflection in the mirror. Blonde hair. Blue eyes. She was like so many other girls, but Ash had said she was one of a kind. She didn't see it. Her hair was naturally curly and that she was glad for. No unnecessary fixing of her hair. She shook her head and put on her black flats. She looked at her phone; it was 11:30 already. Crap. She was going to be late. She quickly took her phone and her bag and walked out the door. She said goodbye to Mason and took her car keys off of the counter, leaving her slightly cramped house. Before she started the car, she texted Ash, telling him she was going to be at the beach all day. He replied with a, "Good, you need the break, Darling (: I'll talk to you later 3" She smiled. Ash was great. No, not just great, amazing.

She began driving straight to the vacant beach. When she got there, she walked straight to their usual spot by the docks. They had been going there since junior high. When she got there, the only one there was Kourtney, who was just watching the waves crash onto the shore. She had her back to Lauren. Lauren took a deep breath and walked towards her. This ought to be interesting.

Kourtney looked out into the ocean, just thinking. Stefan. Damon. This was so stupid. Love triangle? Pathetic. _Okay, okay, enough about this_! she thought to herself. She had to think about what Emily had planned for today. What _did_ she have planned? This can't be good. Emily wasn't Emily anymore. She had changed. Completely. And what would Lauren say when she actually saw what Emily truly was? Or would she just be speechless? Kourtney heard footsteps behind her and her hand tightened around the pepper spray she brought. She would use it if she had to.

"What the hell is that?" she heard Lauren say.

Kourtney turned around to see _only_ Lauren and she quickly put the pepper spray in her back pocket, "It's just…. nothing. So. Where's Emily?"

Lauren shrugged and sat down next to her, "I don't know, she didn't come with me."

"Well if she's not even here yet then wh-?" said Kourtney before she noticed two objects almost sliding towards them.

"What the hell?" Lauren said standing up and going closer to the objects on the sand.

Kourtney got up too and walked towards the objects too. It was frozen water. Shaped into words. One read, "Kourtney." The other read, "Lauren." Kourtney gasped and took a step back while Lauren took a step forward.

"Wow! This is _so_ cool!" said Lauren turning over her frozen name in her hand.

"Lauren!" scolded Kourtney, "Don't _touch_ it! It could be toxic!"

"Kourt, it's water, calm down," said Lauren, holding out Kourtney's name to her.

Kourtney pondered whether or not to take it, but then shook her head. She wasn't stupid. This could've been a trick. She took it and quickly threw it in the ocean, wiping her hands on her dress.

"Rude. That's a gift, ya know," said a familiar voice from behind.

Kourtney whipped around and took her pepper spray from her back pocket, holding it behind her back so that it wasn't visible. Emily was right in front of her, same outfit as earlier. Kourtney gulped nervously. Lauren smiled at Emily until she realized the outfit she had on and the impossibility of the gift. Kourtney felt a small ping of success in her stomach. The rest was fear. No. She couldn't look fearful, she refused to.

"How did you do that?" she said, chin in the air.

Emily smiled at her, "Sit down, guys."

Lauren sat down immediately and Kourtney hesitated, but sat down anyway. Emily sat between them; Kourtney noticed the bandage on her leg where Kourtney had shot her with the stick. She closed her eyes and Kourtney's hand tightened around the pepper spray. Lauren just stared. Emily chanted something that Kourtney, again, couldn't understand. Kourtney slowly and quietly stood up and when Lauren looked up at her, confusedly, Kourtney just put a finger to her lips so as to tell her not to speak. She stood behind Emily, fully prepared to pepper spray her if her spell involved hurting them. When Emily would turn around to look for Kourtney, Kourtney would spray her quickly, grab Lauren, and run. Once Emily finished her chant, fireworks exploded in the sky and Lauren screamed with alarm.

Emily smiled at the words she created in the sky, "I'm a witch."

Lauren's eyes widened while Kourtney tried to remain emotionless, "The good kind?" she said, crossing her arms.

Emily turned around, shocked. She stood up, confused, "Of course….. What other kind would _I_ be, Kourt?"

Kourtney remained emotionless and ignored the question, "And how long have you known this?" she demanded.

Now Emily's face had shown her hurt and her eyes began to water, "Just today! That's why I'm telling you guys…. I wouldn't keep anything from you guys."

_Yea, right_, Kourtney thought to herself. "Sure," is all she said.

Emily was just plain confused by Kourtney now, "You don't believe me?"

Kourtney secretly put her pepper spray back in her pocket and shook away her bad thoughts about Emily just as easily as they had come, "Of course, I do. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have doubted you, Em," she hugged her tightly.

"That's okay," Emily said, hugging her back.

Emily pulled away and turned to Lauren whose eyes were wide and mouth was open, "Lauren? You okay?" she said with a frightened tone. Was she going to lose her best friend because of this?

Lauren stared at her and suddenly started pinching herself repeatedly, "This isn't real, and this is just a dream. Thisisjustadream."

"Lauren!" Emily scolded, stopping Lauren from hurting herself anymore.

"This is real?" Lauren asked with baby eyes.

Emily nodded, silently. Lauren was suddenly back to herself, she lifted her chin, put the confidence back in her voice and said, excitedly, "That is _so_ cool!"

Emily sighed with relief, "Oh good."

"So! Can you make people do whatever you want? Oh wait! How'd you find out?" Lauren smiled, clearly excited.

Emily's eyes widened slightly and it took her a while to answer, "Uh… I found an old spell book that my Mom hid."

Kourtney ignored the lie, "Well, where is it?"

Emily smiled mischievously, "Oh it's in the car. We could go get it…"

Lauren jumped up and down, excitedly, "Yes! We have to check this out!"

Kourtney just smiled and nodded. They all went to Emily's car and as soon as Kourtney got tone look at it, she knew it was the one Damon had gave to Emily earlier today. That seemed like years away now. She realized something suddenly, she hadn't heard from Stefan all day. She was too busy worrying that she hadn't noticed. There was a pang in her heart. She missed him so much.

"Okay the water is a bit cold here, isn't it?" Emily said smiling as they walked back to the dock.

Lauren squealed with excitement, "Yeees! Are you going to make it warmer?"

Emily laughed, "Yea, okay look at this page," she said, taking a seat on the sand.

Lauren and Kourtney sat down next to her, peering at the old book.

"All I have to do is get some of the beach water, some warm water, and I have to say these words ten times," she smiled, and then suddenly frowned, "Damn! I forgot the warm water in the car. Kourt, can you go get it while I get some things started?"

Kourtney smiled and stood up, "Sure."

She shook the sand off of her and took Emily's keys. She walked over to Emily's car, which was a three minute walk. She thought of Stefan the whole way. Why didn't he text or call her today? Was he okay? Did Damon hurt him? Oh, _Damon_. She had forgotten about him, only focusing on Stefan. What was Damon? Was he a witch too? But that would mean Stefan could be too… Well there was nothing wrong with that was there? No, there wasn't. Maybe there was nothing dangerous about witches at all.

When Kourtney got to Emily's car, she opened the car door without hurry. She grabbed the only warm water bottle there and shut the door, trying to lock the door. How the hell did you lock this car? Oh, screw it! She opened the car door and just pressed the LOCK ALL button, shutting the door right after.

"Ha! Suck on that, bitch!" she shouted at the car, doing a victory dance.

There was a familiar laugh, "Nice moves."

Kourtney stopped, mid-sprinkler dance, and put her hands down. Her eyes widened at him. "Damon. Oh I was just-"

"Showing that car who's the boss?" he chuckled.

She nodded, and smiled nervously, "Exactly. What are you doing here?"

He gave a half smile and put his hands in his pockets, "It's a nice place to think."

"So you came all the way to the beach to _think_?" she raised an eyebrow.

He ignored the question and pointed to her bandaged knee, "What happened to your knee?"

Kourtney's eyes widened and she crossed her arms, nervously, "Um I tripped over a rock I my driveway. It's just a scratch."

He nodded, "Just…. Be careful, yea? You're precious cargo."

Kourtney laughed, "I think I'll be fine," she said, walking away.

"Kourtney, wait!" he shouted after her.

She scoffed. She wasn't going to fall for his tricks again. She kept walking, ignoring his pleas for her to stop. She only turned around when he grabbed her arm.

"What?" she yelled.

Only she didn't get an answer. She got a kiss. His warm lips touching hers felt good and she could swear her heart skipped a beat. She felt like kissing him forever. It was a kiss that was even better than the dream. And he was the one to pull away.

"Kourtney, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't hav-," he said before she interrupted him with a kiss.

She kissed him slowly and passionately. It was even better than the first. It was so amazing that she wondered if it just kept getting better each time they kissed. _Wait what_! she thought to herself. What about Stefan! She was forgetting all about Stefan! She pulled away quickly.

"Oh god. No, no, no… Damon, this was a mistake! Please, don't tell Stefan! I made a stupid mistake..." Kourtney said with pleading eyes.

Damon nodded, frowning, "Kourtney, of course I'm not going to tell him. I just….. I want to make another stupid mistake."

He suddenly lifted her chin and kissed her again, this time with slight force. And now Kourtney knew: It _did_ get better with each kiss. She finally gave in and kissed him back. It was simply amazing. _Until_ he pulled away.

"Your knee is bleeding again," he said, turning away from her.

"I-oh. I was supposed to change the bandage and I forgot. Damn. I think I have a bandage in my car though, do you mind helping me?" she said.

He was still turned around, "Yes."

She smiled, "Oh good. I don't think I ca-."

He interrupted her, back still to her, "Yes, Kourtney, I do mind. I have to go."

_Oh_. Kourtney's heart melted. What game was he playing? He just kisses her and then leaves? Was that the game-plan?

"I'm sorry, Kourt. I have to go," he began to walk away.

Fine. Two can play at that game. She began walking faster to her car. She pushed past him and said, "Whatever, Damon."

She didn't bother to look back. She just walked quickly to her car. Once she got there, she quickly re-bandaged her knee. She wiped the blood off with a napkin and locked her car, not realizing that the bloody napkin fell to the floor. She went on with the rest of her night and at least tried to act like a normal teenager. Running into the ocean at midnight and talking with her friends all night. She wasn't going to let all the sudden paranormalcy in her life drown her.

For now: She would be normal.

_I'm such a moron_, thought Damon as he stood on the docks. He was a natural predator. Why couldn't he just tear the throat of the young girl? Biting her neck and enriching himself with the wine that was Kourtney's blood. Once he kissed her, it was like heaven on earth. Her lips were so warm against his. He apologized, but she interrupted him by kissing him with force. The third time they had kissed he almost forced his fangs inside of her, he could smell the wine-like blood on her knee. He had to turn around so that she couldn't see his red, blood-thirsty eyes. And he had to be slightly rude too her. It was even worse when she pushed past him, he was tempted so much to attack her. He could've made her forget, but she was… different. He couldn't even dare to sink his teeth into her.

He followed, in secret, to her car. He didn't even look when she was bandaging her cut; he was getting better at this. When she left, though, he couldn't help himself. He could smell the bloody napkin from miles away. He held it up to his nose, enriching his nose with its sweet smell. And, before he could stop himself, he was pathetically drinking all the blood from the napkin. He just couldn't help himself. Her blood was like wine. And the bittersweet part? It was the exact match to the drop of blood behind that bush earlier this morning. Kourtney had seen everything. The first question that managed to pop into his head, though, was: Did she see him smiling at the picture of her? It was a selfish question. She had seen everything, though…. Had seen flowers rise from out of nowhere, had seen him move like the wind, and had seen him hear her heartbeat. He realized something else though: She had thrown the rock. At first, Damon had suspected another vampire was spying on him and Emily, since the rock had been thrown with such speed and agility. But once he saw the drop of blood near the bush, he knew it was a human. Once he tasted the blood, he knew it was a _desirable_ human.

He was right. Who was more desirable than Kourtney? But wait. What did she think he was? She didn't seem afraid at all. Only when she was pleading for him not to tell Stefan. But if she had seen all that, why was she not afraid? Maybe she thought he was like Emily. A witch. Ha! Oh the weak ones. No way was he one of those. However, Emily had told both Kourtney and her perky friend what she was (really stupid move) and after Emily had explained everything, Kourtney was at ease. So maybe she was okay with witches. And maybe she thought he was one. It was better than her thinking he was a vampire. For now, he would let her keep thinking he was harmless. It was better for her to not be revealed to the very cruel world of vampires. She was so fragile and sweet… Too good for the vampire world. Even if he had to rip Stefan off of her throat and kill him, he would do it. For Kourtney. He was beginning to love this little human with the blonde hair and piercing green eyes named Kourtney Accola.


End file.
